In order to avoid any confusion, for those who need a legal term in a translation, there is a legal difference between these phrases. Which one you use will depend on the context.

In the U.S. there are different legal ages for different things. For instance, you may vote at age 18, but you cannot buy alcoholic beverages; You must be 21 to buy alcohol. You must be 18 to buy tobacco; you must be 18 to join the military services; 16 to get a driver's license. Depending on state law, you cannot get married without parental consent until you are 17 or 18 and a female under the age of 17 or 18 cannot give consent to have *** (age of consent).

The age of majorityis legal recognition that one has grown into an adult and is frequently confused with the age of license. As a legal term, "license" means "permission", which means a legally enforceable right or privilege. Thus, an age of license is an age at which one has legal permission from government to do something.

For example, in any jurisdiction, the age at which an individual is allowed to vote, quit school, enter into legally binding contracts, drive a car, purchase and consume alcoholic beverages, and so on – these are all ages of license.

Age of majority pertains solely to the acquisition of control over one’s decisions and actions.

Many ages of license are the same as the age of majority, but they are nonetheless legally distinct concepts. One need not have attained the age of majority to have permission to exercise certain rights and responsibilities. Some ages of license are actually higher than the age of majority. For example, the age of license to purchase alcoholic beverages is 21in all U.S. states. For most other purposes, the age of majority in the U.S. is 18. There are some exceptions such as the states of Nebraska and Alabama (age 19) and Mississippi (21).

So, age of legal responsibility, age of consent, legal age, all mean, generally, the same thing but it depends on what you are referring to (context).